So it looks like I'll be sending my DLM12's back

P

plexi59

Guest
One of the requirements I have for the speakers is that they should be usable at low volume. DLM12's sound all right to me, but they have a significant amount of hiss even when nothing is plugged in. They aren't "unusable" (hiss is masked when I'm playing, obviously), but not ideal either, because hiss will drive me insane in the long term. I think there's a pair of active CLRs in my future after all. I don't mind paying a few hundred more for speakers that are quiet.
 
plexi59 said:
One of the requirements I have for the speakers is that they should be usable at low volume. DLM12's sound all right to me, but they have a significant amount of hiss even when nothing is plugged in. They aren't "unusable" (hiss is masked when I'm playing, obviously), but not ideal either, because hiss will drive me insane in the long term. I think there's a pair of active CLRs in my future after all. I don't mind paying a few hundred more for speakers that are quiet.
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CLR hiss is (in my opinion) is very low. They are very quiet compared to the RCF NX12SMAs. Not silent but more than acceptable for me even at low volume. I'm surprised the DLM12's aren't in that vicinity... I guess the room that I heard them in wasn't as quiet as I thought. Are you positive that the gain staging was correct?
 
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I was using some JBL EONs which picked up interference from a halogen floor lamp near by, but the CLRs i just got are comparatively dead quiet.
 
plexi59 said:
One of the requirements I have for the speakers is that they should be usable at low volume. DLM12's sound all right to me, but they have a significant amount of hiss even when nothing is plugged in. They aren't "unusable" (hiss is masked when I'm playing, obviously), but not ideal either, because hiss will drive me insane in the long term. I think there's a pair of active CLRs in my future after all. I don't mind paying a few hundred more for speakers that are quiet.
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Thats how I saw it money wise, they work but if im going to go with monitor that is less then desirable I think the Seismic 12M PW would be better suited at half the price of the DLM's or CLR for a few hundy more.
 
grape said:
CLR hiss is (in my opinion) is very low. They are very quiet compared to the RCF NX12SMAs. Not silent but more than acceptable for me even at low volume. I'm surprised the DLM12's aren't in that vicinity... I guess the room that I heard them in wasn't as quiet as I thought. Are you positive that the gain staging was correct?
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Gain staging is irrelevant, because they hiss even when nothing is connected at all.
 
CLRs are great because if you keep their master low they have minimal hiss but still put out a ton of sound. I have master at 9 o'clock at home and they get quite loud. At gig levels I'll crank the master to 1 o'clock or rarely even higher, but I don't hear any hiss at the gig because there is other room noise masking it.
 
plexi59 said:
Gain staging is irrelevant, because they hiss even when nothing is connected at all.
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Well even in that case it's still relevant but I assume you mean that with nothing connected and the volume all of the way down, the hiss is still unacceptable to you. I think you'll like the CLRs in this respect. I do however have this clanging noise... oh wait, that's my guitar.
 
Actually, turns out that if I dial down the _unused_ channel on the mixer to minus infinity as well, the noise is reduced considerably. God damn these SOBs are loud. I've put on an MP3 track with drum music in my man cave (the room is pretty big, with high ceiling), set it to bearable volume, and the furniture was literally rattling in the room above.
 
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